Collecting member for trolley systems



Feb. 25, 1936. o. CONRADTY COLLECTING MEMBER FOR TROLLEY SYSTEMS Filed Dec. 15, 1933 Patented Feb. 25, 1936 PATENT. OFFICE COLLECTING MEMBER FOR TROLLEY SYSTEMS Ottmar Conradty, Nuremberg, Germany, assignor to C. Conradty, Nuremberg, Germany, a

Application December 15, 1933, Serial No. 702,523 In Germany December 27, 1932 6 Claims. (01. 191-55) My invention relates to improvements in collecting members for trolley systems, and more particularly in collecting members comprising a straight or curved metal rod or pipe and a body or bodies of carbon carried thereby, the said collecting member being mounted on a trolley pole or bail. The object of the improvements is to provide a collecting member of high strength against bending and breaking, so that it is adapted to withstand the high strain caused particularly at high velocities by the pressure of the overhead conductor thereon. With this object in view my invention consists in connecting the metal rod or carbon body or bodies with each other into an integral body the parts of which are not shiftable relatively to each other. In a collecting member of this construction the bending stress is not taken up exclusively by the carbon body, but also the metal rod takes up the blows 0mm collecting member as soon as pressure is exerted on the'carbon body. In a collecting member in which the carbon body and metal rod are not intimately connected there is always a, slight gap between the carbon body and the metal rod, and therefore all the blows'are taken up exclusively by the carbon body. Since the carbon body has a comparatively small elasticity it is subject to cracking when the blows are too heavy.

The intimate connection of the carbon body and metal rod is particularly important in electric railways, and where curved collecting members are used. The high velocity of the vehicle and the high pressure of the overhead line subject the collecting member to high strain which largely exceeds the strain to which collecting members are subject in street railway service;

It has heretofore been tried to strengthen the collecting members, and for this purpose corrugated wires' or sheet metal has been combined with the collecting member, by means of which a more intimate contact is obtained by spring action between the carbon body and the metal rod,

- or the metal pipe has been slit and forced apart by wedges and into engagement with the carbon body. Further, it has been suggested to fix strong springs to the pipe. However, in these constructions gaps are left between the carbon body and the metal rod.

I have found that only a binding medium which is poured into the space between the metal rod and the carbon body is able to fill out all the interstices between the carbon body and the metal rod and intimately to connect the same with each other into an integral body. Preferbinding media of low melting point, such for 10 example as lead or tin, letter type metal composed of lead, antimony, tin and, if desired, copper, any of the known bearing metals, white metal, aluminum, magnesium and alloys of aluminum and magnesium and other metals. These metals or alloys are poured into the gap between the metal rod and carbon body after first heating the carbon body and metal rod, preferably after the air has first been excluded.

By filling out the gap with a conductive binding medium the current is transmitted not only by the carbon but also by the metal rod, whereby the density of the current in the carbon body is materially reduced. Should the carbon crack by excessive strain the service is not endangered, because the carbon body is fixed to the metal rod and therefore does not change its position, and the crack is bridged electrically by the metal rod.

In order that my invention be more clearly understood two examples embodying the same have been illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation showing a. collecting member composed of a carbon body and a U-shaped metal rod partly embracing the same,

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation showing a modification in whichthe metal rod is passed through a bore of the carbon body so that it is entirely enclosed therein. 7

In the example shown in Fig. 1 the collecting member comprises a carbon body a which is dovetailed at its bottom part, and a; U-shaped metal rod 12' embracing the dove-tailed, part of the carbon body a with its flanges. "The gap between the carbon body and the metal rod is filled out by 4 one of the aforesaid binding media 0.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the carbon body (1. is triangular in cross-section. and it is formed with a bore through which the metal rod 17 is passed. The gap between the carbon body a 50 and the metal rod 12 is filled out by any one of the aforesaid binding media 0 I claim: v

1., A substantially non-frangible trolley-collector, comprising a support, a brittle, frangible 55 tor, comprising a support, a brittle, frangible contact-material carried thereby thereon, with flexure producing gaps therebetween, and means for relieving the brittle contact-material from all fiexure-strains and stresses and including an electrically conductive binder-material poured when liquid into allsaid gaps and upon hardening eifectuating perfect mechanical contact between .each and every point of the support and the contactmaterial so as to unite the two into an integral body.

3. A substantially non-frangible trolley-collector, comprising a support, a brittle, frangiblecontact-material carried thereby thereon, with flexure-producing gaps therebetween, and means for relieving the brittle contact-material from all flexure-strainsand stresses and including a low melting-point metallic binder-material poured when melted into all said gaps and upon solidifying effectuating perfect mechanical contact between each and every point of the support and the contact-material so as to unite the two into an integral body.

' ,4. A substantially non-frangible trolley-collector, comprising a support, a brittle, frangible contact-material carried thereby thereon, withfiexure-producing gaps therebetween, and means for relieving the brittle contact-material from all fiexure-strains and stresses and including an alloy of low melting point poured while molten into all said gaps and upon solidifying efiectuating perfect mechanical contact between each and every point of the support and the contact-material so as to unite the two into an integral body.

5. -A substantially non-frangible trolley-collector, comprising a support, a brittle, frangible contact-material carried thereby thereon, with flexure-producing gaps therebetween, and means for relieving the. brittle contact-material from all flexure-strains and stresses and including sulphur poured while liquid into all said gaps and upon hardening effectuating perfect mechanical con- .tact between each and every point of the support and the contact-material so as to unite the two into an integral body.

6. A substantially non-frangible trolley-collector, comprising a support, a brittle, frangible contact-material carried thereby thereon, with flexure-producing gaps therebetween, and means for relieving the brittle contact-material from all fleXure-strains and stresses and including cement poured while unset into all said gaps and upon setting effectuating perfect mechanical contact between each and every point of the support and the contact-material so as to unite the two into an integral body. I

O'II'MAR CONRADTY. 

